A warrant is being sought to search the Anthony family home Thursday after remains of a small child were found nearby, according to a sheriff's spokesman.

Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons confirmed the remains were found in a sealed plastic bag along Suburban Drive by a meter reader who called authorities about 9:30 a.m. The utility worker that discovered the remains said a skull rolled out of the bag when he picked it up. Sources close to the investigation told WESH 2 and NBC News that duct tape was found on the mouth.

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A medical examiner took the remains from the scene on Thursday afternoon.

Earlier Thursday, the Orange County Jail was notified and expected to inform Casey Anthony of the situation.

Sources said that upon hearing the news, Casey Anthony had what was described as an anxiety attack and requested sedatives.

Todd Black, the spokesman for Jose Baez, who is Casey Anthony's attorney, said Anthony's camp is currently taking a wait-and-see attitude regarding the discovery.

Black said they want to find out what exactly the discovery is sooner rather than later.

Baez went to the Orange County Jail to be with his client. Later Thursday, Baez filed an emergency motion to ensure his involvement in the testing of the newly found remains. A hearing is scheduled for Friday at 11:30.

Investigators have been at the scene all day, which is one third of a mile away from the Hopespring Drive home where Casey Anthony, 22, was staying with her parents, Cindy and George Anthony, and daughter, Caylee.

WESH 2's Michelle Meredith reported that the area has been searched in the past because Casey Anthony spent time in the wooded area with her friends when she was in high school. Meredith said the area is very thick with trees and other vegetation.

According to Equusearch, volunteers tried to search the area, but it was underwater. When they returned, the area was blocked by a chain-link fence.

Tim Miller of Equusearch said he believes the remains are Caylee's and he expects to attend her funeral within a week.

"I feel very optimistic that these are the remains of Caylee. We don't have any other missing children in the Orlando area, especially that close to the Anthony home," Miller said.

Capt. Angelo Nieves said investigators will continue to evaluate and process the scene thoughout the day and likely into the night.

"It is very early. We want to proceed carefully and methodically," Nieves said.

"I am not at liberty to provide any additional information that could compromise this case," Nieves said when prodded by reporters to draw conclusions regarding Caylee's disappearance.

Meredith said the feeling on the scene shortly after the find was much more urgent than when bounty hunter Leonard Padilla found possible bones weeks ago in a retention pond.

"It appears they have something very significant," Meredith said. "It is being taken very, very seriously."

Leonard Padilla said his team did not search the area where the bones were found, but he drove by it several times.

The exact age or the gender of the child is unknown, and investigators are not connecting the remains to the Anthony case, but Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said it is definitely a possibility that the remains are Caylee's.

Beary said it is confirmed that a human skull was found. He also said the area where the discovery was made was flooded during earlier searches.

Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors said she killed her daughter, Caylee, who was 2 years old when she was reported missing in July.

The Anthony family has been notified. They were still in California after Wednesday night's "Larry King Live" television appearance, but WESH 2's Bob Kealing reported that they are currently headed back to Orlando.

Lead investigator John Allen called grandmother Cindy Anthony after the body was found, WESH 2's Bob Kealing said.

Earlier this week, the state attorney's office decided to not seek the death penalty for mother Casey Anthony, but a source from the state attorney's office said Thursday that if the body does belong to Caylee, the death penalty may be back on the table.